Flight Safety Digest February 1990

Training the Entire Flight Department The ever-increasing sophistication of machines and procedures requires an integrated approach to impress on all employees that safety of flight is the overriding concern of those who use air transportation. by Raoul Castro President Aerospace International Management Systems, Inc. When we mention training, we think in terms of flight minor incidents.” How much did maintenance training crew training without considering that every person in and pilot training contribute to the above accidents? a flight department should be trained to perform his or her job competently. The objective of recurrent training is to keep all employees at a specified level of Training to Develop proficiency. And Maintain Skills The old adage — a chain is as strong as its weakest link Skills have to be maintained. Therefore, training be- — is apropos to safety and training. The links of the comes the key factor in ensuring that an individual training chain are: competent management, the trans- understands those things for which he is accountable ference of skill from classroom and simulator to the and responsible. Accountability is the obligation to cockpit, flight planning accuracy, cabin passenger safety, carry out the duties of a position. Responsibility is the correct procedures in the performance of maintenance obligation to perform work correctly and on time and to tasks and many others. meet established schedules. Personnel in an aircraft operation must possess a high degree of discipline, Proficiency as it applies to training flight operations reliability, and moral obligation for the passengers’ personnel is to: well being and safety. • Impart general knowledge of how a task should An Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license or a degree in be performed. engineering does not necessarily make a manager. Man- agement training is needed. • Inculcate the ability to perform the specific task in a competent and skilled manner. A mechanic with seniority and an airplane and powerplant (A&P) license, aspiring to a maintenance man- Recent accidents point to the fact that something is ager position, may find that without management skills amiss in training or that classroom training is not being his job becomes a disaster. applied. Has training become so boring, or passe, that we put up with it as something we have to do to keep The significant factors of an aviation training program our job? must include, pilot and mechanic proficiency, commu- nication skills, leadership, decision making, work or- Consider the following situations: Boeing 737 over ganization, delegation of responsibility, acceptance of Hawaii, Boeing 747 over the Pacific, DC-10 at Sioux responsibility, and assertiveness. The employee must City, Iowa, MD-80 at Detroit, Michigan, Boeing 737 in have initiative and take advantage of company pro- the Potomac River, Boeing 737 in New York’s East vided training. River. In the first three situations the crew performed with tremendous competence and skill. In the remain- Regardless of the number of airplanes that a company ing three situations, the crew did not perform well. may be operating, a flight operations training program Accident investigators agree that “Accidents don’t just should be structured to the unique requirements of that happen, they manifest themselves from a sequence of particular operation. FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION • FLIGHT SAFETY DIGEST • FEBRUARY 1990 1 Examples: require training because he has all the answers. “When a manager is finished learning, he is finished.” • An aviation department manager must be in regular training to keep up with the state-of-the-art of Managers signal poor management practices when they management. New management methods that do not respect and recognize the ability of their em- can improve the operation should be explored. ployees. This can be accomplished by attending development programs and seminars in organization and management. Pilot Initial and Recurrent Training • A company operating overseas flights should have Programs should be built on training objectives based crew members trained in all aspects of overwater on a philosophy that can be described with the matrix in flight and emergency procedures. Figure 1. • A company operating in and out of demanding Crew training must cover all the unique operational airports, i.e., Aspen, Colorado, should train crews requirements of the flight operation. An emphasis must with emphasis on high-altitude airports, cross- be placed on operational procedures. A proficiency wind takeoffs and landings, and appropriate air- level must be attained and means of maintaining that port approach and departure procedures. level must be prescribed. Frequency of training sessions is essential to the maintenance of the prescribed • Maintenance personnel should be trained on the level of proficiency. Tolerable safe deviation from correct equipment, and how to schedule mainte- prescribed standard operating procedures must be de- nance in order to maximize utilization. fined. To accomplish a viable interface between man and ma- Basic Training Requirements chine and optimum crew coordination, the main objective, which is the discipline and ability to transfer classroom and simulator training to the actual airplane cockpit, The basic training requirements for a flight operation must be considered. It would be impossible to achieve are: crew coordination without the implementation of standard operating procedures that integrate individuals into • Management training the formation of a disciplined crew. These goals are • Pilot initial and recurrent training accomplished by training that will maximize human • Maintenance personnel initial and recurrent training performance, provide better application of present training • Survival training — for all personnel knowledge and make optimum use of flight simulators. • Safety, security, and emergency plans — for all personnel Maintenance Personnel Initial Management Training And Recurrent Training This addresses those concerned with the effective man- Personnel must receive initial training by type of air- agement and efficient operation of a flight department. frame and powerplant. This training should be provided by the aircraft manufacturer’s designated train- The 1980s will be marked as the period when aviation ing agency. Training sessions should be provided once faced many of the constraints that other industries are a year at the minimum. facing. Recurrent training should be based on aircraft type, or The aviation management methods of the 1970s have if qualified, on two aircraft types, with alternate train- become obsolete. Consequently, management training ing every six months but no less than every year. and education should be future oriented. Development is the concept to be used, a combination of productive An in-house program for “on-the-job-training” (OJT) training and positive experience. should be in place for apprentice technicians and technicians that have not had initial training on a particular In many magazine articles on management, the man- type of aircraft. ager being interviewed talks about the programs he has instituted for his employees, but does not mention his The maintenance chief should attend management seminars own training. It leaves one to assume that he does not or courses to enhance his skills. 2 FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION • F LI GH T SA FETY DI G E S T • FEBRUARY 1990 Training Philosophy Training Objectives Cover Operational Requirements Maintain Required Proficiency Level for Particular Operation Establish Training Frequency Maintain Tolerable Safety Deviation Parameters as Prescribed in Manuals and Training Programs Figure 1 in a flight operation, and they must be trained to be able to recognize threats to safety and security. Survival and First Aid Training An emergency plan should be established as an outline Frequently, a minimal amount of training is provided in for procedural actions to be taken in the event of an survival and first aid for inflight and ground emergen- emergency. Flight operations personnel have to be cies. The lives of crew and passengers may depend on familiar with the “action plan.” They should review it advance training and preparation. Survival training for regularly and keep it up to date. crew members should be done regardless of the area of operation. There are many areas worldwide where ditching The emergency plan has to meet the requirements of the or landing in a wilderness area can be considered a particular flight operation. Instruction on procedures possibility. Survival training can be obtained from can be conducted on an in-house basis by company or several agencies that specialize in this type of training. outside personnel. The value of first aid training has applications both on and off the aircraft not only to help others but to pro- The Training Manual vide self first aid. First aid training can include cardio- pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the performance of the The aviation department training manual is really the Heimlich maneuver, and training in the immediate and curriculum, or central theme, in which the training sub- temporary care given a victim in case of accident or jects are correlated. It should start with the flight sudden illness. operation training philosophy, defining the objectives of each training subject and areas of study to be empha- Information on where to receive first aid training can sized, (i.e., ground, flight, maintenance, safety and se- be obtained from such

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